Docs on alert as dengue cases surge

At Ruby Hall Clinic, Dr Prachee Sathe said of the two patients admitted to the hospital, one suffered multi-organ failure and had to be put on ventilator.

Intermittent rainfall, fluctuation in temperature and stagnant water have led to the rise in the number of cases.

City-based doctors are on an alert as dengue cases are slowly picking up in the city.

Dr Rajesh Gadia, consulting physician, who has been treating dengue patients for the last 10 years, said, “The situation is not alarming and there is no epidemic. However, we are seeing sporadic cases of dengue. There are five patients admitted at KEM Hospital.”

At Ruby Hall Clinic, Dr Prachee Sathe said of the two patients admitted to the hospital, one suffered multi-organ failure and had to be put on ventilator

Gadia said intermittent rainfall, fluctuation in temperature, and stagnant water has led to the rise in the number of cases. Dengue has become endemic in the city and people should immediately take treatment for symptoms such as high grade fever, severe headache, body ache and vomiting, he added.

According to the Pune Municipal Corporation’s report on communicable diseases, there have been as many as 277 suspected dengue fever cases since January. Of the 85 samples sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), 35 tested positive. As many as 11 samples tested positive for the virus in June, said Dr Vaishali Jadhav, Assistant Medical Officer, PMC.

Dr P Salve, Additional Medical Officer of Health, said as many as 22 dengue cases were registered in Pimpri-Chinchwad in June. In its weekly update between June 13 and 19 on dengue, NIV mentioned that of the 53 samples, 27 tested positive for the virus. According to Dr Kanchan Jagtap, Joint Director of Health, there are 23 sentinel surveillance centres where a total of 11,707 serum samples were sent for tests,of which 963 were found to be positive for the virus.

Dr Pradip Awate, Assistant Director of Integrated Surveillance Disease Project, said the cases were fewer this year.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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